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Want to Fight Cancer With Your Fork? There's an App for That

BOSTON --(Business Wire)--

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has launched a free, easy-to-use iPhone (News - Alert)®
app that provides recipes and nutrition information that can be searched
by cancer patients in accordance with their needs. The recipes are also
helpful to anyone who wants to have a healthy diet.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has launched a free, easy-to-use iPhone(R) app that provides recipes and nutrition information that can be searched by cancer patients in accordance with their needs. The recipes are also helpful to anyone who wants to have a healthy diet. (Photo: Business Wire)

"We developed Ask
the Nutritionist: Recipes for Fighting Cancer to encourage and
empower cancer patients, and others, to explore and enjoy healthy eating
habits," says Steven R. Singer, senior vice president for Communications
at Dana-Farber. "Studies have long shown that good nutrition is tied to
good health, and, for those with cancer, treatment side effects can make
eating well a real challenge."

Ask The Nutritionist: Recipes for Fighting Cancer contains over a
hundred easy-to-prepare recipes ranging from nutritious snacks to
good-for-you main dishes to delicious desserts. Users can access a list
of ingredients, directions on how to prepare the dish, a shopping list
to use at the grocery store, nutrition tips, and nutritional analysis
information in a standard USDA label format. New recipes are added each
month.

"Nutrition
information is one of the most popular sections of the Dana-Farber
web site, and we wanted to share the expertis of our terrific
nutritionists with a wider, mobile audience," Singer said. The app
curates many of the frequent questions and responses to Dana-Farber's
nutrition staff, and allows users to ask a direct question.

The app, developed with Dana-Farber's staff of registered and
board-certified dieticians,
is designed to help find the optimal diet for any type of cancer. It
also offers users the ability to search by common symptoms (such as
nausea or mouth sores), helping to customize dietary needs while going
through treatment. There also are recipes and healthy eating tips for
cancer survivors.

"Eating a well-balanced diet is one of the best ways to lower the risk
of cancer," says Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN, a nutritionist at
Dana-Farber. "Our hope is that this app will not only be a useful tool
for cancer patients and their families but will also make choosing the
healthiest foods easier and more fun for everyone."

Some unique features of Ask the Nutritionist include:

On-the-go access to over a hundred healthy recipes with an
evidence-based approach.

Nutrition tips and information on cancer-fighting nutrients.

Innovative option to search by symptom management.

Specialized diet section for those who require foods that are
gluten-free, are high-fiber or provide immune support, etc.

The ability to create a shopping list to take to the grocery store and
never forget a key ingredient.

An "ask the nutritionist" function. Dana-Farber's nutrition department
will respond to questions from the app's users.

An extensive searchable database of frequently asked questions (FAQs)
and archived questions and responses about nutrition.

The app is available for all iPhone® users with IOS 5 or higher. It is
free and can be downloaded by going to the Apple
iTunes® store. Ask The Nutritionist: Recipes for Fighting Cancer was
designed and developed in partnership with iFactory,
a Boston-based interactive agency.

More information about nutrition and cancer can be found on
Dana-Farber's Nutrition
Services web page.

Editor's Note: High resolution
images, MP3 audio clips of an interview with a Dana-Farber nutritionist,
and a video showing how to use the Ask the Nutritionist app are
available for downloading on www.dana-farber.org/nutritionapp.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org)
is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is
among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States.
It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
(DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National
Cancer Institute. It provides adult cancer care with Brigham and Women's
Hospital as Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center and it
provides pediatric care with Boston Children's Hospital as
Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center. Dana-Farber is the top
ranked cancer center in New England, according to U.S. News & World
Report, and one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of
National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health grant
funding. Follow Dana-Farber on Twitter: @danafarber or Facebook (News - Alert):
facebook.com/danafarbercancerinstitute.